In 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, first elected in 2003 (POD) and re-elected in 2007, declared his candidacy for President of the United States. While his main rival, former Governor Mitt Romney, was seen as the moderate consensus pick and the front runner, Jindal positioned himself as the principled conservative who had sensible ideas and policies, in opposition to the more fanatically religious right Perry and Gingrich.
Jindal managed to land the upset in the primary by taking out Romney and securing the nomination, with Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels as his running mate. The pair later went on to defeat President Obama and Vice President Biden in the election, winning 321-217 and securing a majority of the popular vote.
What if Jindal had decided to forgo running in 2012? Could Romney have potentially been the one to beat Obama, or could Obama have taken the victory from Romney?
OOC: The POD of Jindal winning in 2003 (which he nearly did) allows him to gain more political exposure before 2012, boosting his national profile.